Planting potatoes

I'm hoping to grow some potatoes this year, my friend gave me some sacks to grow them in. I've got 2 early varieties, Sharpe's Express and Rocket. I put them in the shed mid-Feb to start the chitting process but they seemed very slow to start sprouting so 2 weeks ago I brought them into the house. The shoots are still only about 1cm long...is this too small to plant them? I'm worried that I'm leaving it very late. Also, when I do finally plant them, do I leave the shoots uncovered or do I bury them?

Answers

Hi. I am a bit late with my potatoes too but I`m sure any time now is OK for earlies, I`m having a go with a variety called `Celine` I am going to plant 2 per pot and am using the florist buckets. I would leave them on a suuny windowsill untill the shoots are about an inch long. You need to fill the pot with compost about half way and cover the potatoes (including the shoots), then as the shoots come up through the compost keep adding a bit more each time, just leaving the tops of the shoots showing through, and keep doing this until the compost is to the top. The earlies should be ready in about 8 - 12 weeks, or when the plant starts yellowing. Dont forget to water regularly. Good Luck, I`m no expert but enjoy having a go!